Texas Athletics First to Bring Bluetooth Wireless to Fans

An
exciting new way to use Bluetooth wireless technology was introduced to

University of
Texas students and fans at the season
opener this past weekend. Those with Bluetooth enabled phones at Darrell K
Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium received free Longhorn mobile content and a chance
to win 2007 post-season bowl game tickets wherever the Longhorns play all via
Bluetooth wireless technology.

The
Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) launched a unique sponsorship agreement
with the University of Texas Athletics Department and Host
Communications-Longhorns Sports Network. The sponsorship includes the placement
of Bluetooth wireless technology kiosks throughout Darrell K Royal – Texas
Memorial Stadium and TransSend technology on UT’s high-traffic web sites http://www.TexasSports.com
and
http://www.MackBrown-TexasFootball.com.

Beginning with
the Longhorns’ Sept. 1 football opener vs.

Arkansas
State,
five Bluetooth enabled kiosks located throughout the stadium will be pushing
out UT images and information to fans with Bluetooth enabled mobile phones.
Also included are promotional codes to register for 2007 post-season bowl game
tickets at http://www.bluetooth.com/longhorns.
More than 80,000 fans attend each home football game at Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium,
an ideal venue to introduce this unique Bluetooth application.

TransSend,
a web application developed by the Bluetooth SIG, allows
UT’s
sports web site users to wirelessly send images, schedules and other web-based
information from Bluetooth enabled laptops and PCs to Bluetooth enabled phones
and PDAs. With more than 1.5 billion Bluetooth enabled devices in use
worldwide, the average consumer has Bluetooth technology in at least one mobile
device. While most consumers associate Bluetooth technology with hands-free
talking, this program showcases other simple ways to use the wireless
technology including sending content directly to consumers.

“Texas
Football games are a perfect venue to show how Bluetooth technology can be used
in different — and perhaps unexpected — ways,” said Michael Foley,
Ph.D., executive director of the Bluetooth SIG. “Fans with Bluetooth
enabled phones instantly get images or more information about their favorite
team, delivered wirelessly and free.

Texas
fans and students are tech savvy and loyal. We want to make it easy for them to
get content they want on the wireless devices they already use and become fans of
Bluetooth technology too.”

http://www.TexasSports.com
and http://www.MackBrown-TexasFootball.com
web sites are the first consumer websites to offer TransSend with Bluetooth wireless
technology. Visitors to the sites may now select images, schedules, or even
full articles and send the information wirelessly and free to their mobile
phone or PDA. Users will have two simple ways to TransSend content from UT
Athletics websites to their Bluetooth mobile devices: they can click on a
TransSend icon next to content throughout both sites, or they can right- click
on specific information and select the option to TransSend the data.

With
either method, the computer will automatically begin searching for

Bluetooth
devices within range and allow the user to select the device they wish to
receive the information. Within a few seconds, the transfer is complete, free
of charge and without wasting valuable text messages or network minutes.

“Texas
fans demand and deserve the most accessible information on their teams through http://www.TexasSports.com
and http://www.MackBrown-TexasFootball.com,”
said Chris Plonsky, UT’s Women’s AD and Sr. Associate AD for Men’s and Women’s
Athletics External Services. “Introducing TransSend with Bluetooth
technology on Texas Athletics websites offers a cutting edge way for our avid
fan base to stay connected to Longhorn sports and our excellent web site
content.